Kingdom Hearts 1: Strength of Light
by Parisa01
Summary: Since the day lost her world to darkness, Dawn became too traumatised to speak to other people. It had been 10 years since she arrived on Destiny Islands, but history repeats itself and her second home is lost to darkness. However, she decides to do whatever it takes to save her friends from sharing the same fate as her loved ones. RikuXOC
1. Chapter 1: Whisper

I wanted to try something very different; write a story with a supporting protagonist is non-speaking. Well she is for most of the story. I own nothing but Dawn in this story.

* * *

 **Kingdom Hearts I: Strength of Light**

Name: Dawn

Age: 15

Height: 5ft 8in

Homeworld: Land of Departure

Best friends: Sora, Kairi, Riku, Lea, Isa, Ienzo, Ventus and Aqua.

Crush: Riku

Family: Eraqus (adoptive father) and Terra (brother)

Personality: Kind, intelligent, brave, strong willed, clumsy, stubborn, short tempered, emotional and scared.

Appearance: Brown wavy hair up to her mid back, round bright brown eyes, fair skin, high cheekbones, beauty spot on her left cheek, rosy cheeks and lips and slim body.

Attire of clothes: Dark purple skin tank crop top with spaghetti straps, blue cropped jeans, black fingerless gloves and blue trainers. Around her belt hoops is her purple Wayfinder made by Aqua.

Background: She arrived on Destiny Islands along with Kairi however, she retained her memories. After seeing her adoptive father being killed and the fight between Aqua and a possessed Terra, she becomes traumatised and mute. She only speaks to herself whenever no one is around. She always carries around a small blackboard which is attached around her belt. She also used to get picked on by several other kids from the islands for being mute but Riku always stood up for her.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Whisper**

Dawn was sleeping peacefully in her bed in one of her famous odd sleeping positions, and was snoring loudly. Her hair was a complete mess and she had a string of drool dripping from the side of her mouth.

Suddenly the bell alarm clock began ringing and she fell out of bed from hearing the sudden loud ringing. She switched the alarm clock off whilst yawning and rubbing her eyes; it was 8am. At times, she'd regret agreeing to build the raft because it meant waking up early in the morning. But she did make a promise to Riku that she'd go to the outside worlds with him.

The young woman went into the bathroom, had a nice cool refreshing shower, brushed her teeth, brushed her hair and got changed into her usual attire of clothing. She got out of her room whilst yawning and saw Riku coming out of his room which was opposite hers.

"Good morning." He smiled and she just yawned in response. "Still sleepy huh?" The teenager nodded. They went downstairs and found the kitchen empty. "Oh yeah, mom and dad said they had to go work early today."

Dawn started getting out some ingredients to make breakfast and Riku joined her whilst putting on an apron. She placed her hands on his chest and gently pushed him as he looked up at her confused.

"What's wrong?" He asked and she took the apron off him. The brown-haired teen put on the apron and crossed her arms as she glared at him. "I'm the man of the house this morning. I cook breakfast" She rolled her eyes and snorted with a smirk.

Dawn picked up the blackboard and scribbled her response;

 _Remember what happened last time you cooked?_

"That was a little accident." He countered back.

 _You almost burnt the kitchen down. Besides, you're not a man; you're just a kid._

"You're just saying that cuz you're a year older than me." She smirked at this.

 _I'm the more responsible one here, Riku._

"Alright, responsible one. Show me what you got. Make us breakfast." She pouted. "Please." The teen smiled and nodded.

Dawn began cooking breakfast whilst Riku sat on the counter and watched her in a dreamily kind of way.

Riku admired her for everything she was. He did not care that she was mute but loved her company. When he was with her, he knew he could be himself and she was the greatest listener in the world. For someone who never spoke, she showed a lot of emotion and he knew that once she found her voice, she'd never stop talking, because of the type of person she was. He thought that her clumsiness and short temper was both funny and adorable. He loved the way she was so sleepy in the morning but got excited whenever she saw him. He loved the way some of her hair fell in her face. He loved the way her brown eyes would sparkle whenever she saw food.

The silver haired teen's trail of thought was cut short when he felt a flick on his forehead. He snapped out of daze and saw Dawn standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Is breakfast ready?" He asked curiously and she pointed at the dining table which was already done. "Ah, I was meant to do the table, wasn't I?" He asked nervously and she picked up her board.

 _What were you daydreaming about this time? Is everything okay?_

"Yeah, I'm fine. And nothing much, I was just imagining how the food would taste." He lied and she bought it. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the table. "Eager for me to taste your food and get food poisoning?" He earned himself a slap on the head.

 _I hope you get diarrhoea, meanie._

Riku couldn't help but start chuckling at this and they both sat down. He saw a plate filled with breakfast in front of him; 3 sausages, 2 turkey rashers, 2 eggs, toast and a glass of orange juice.

"I'm impressed. This looks good." He looked up to see Dawn stuffing her mouth with food and smiled whilst shaking his head. He put some food in his mouth and his cheeks went pink; this was delicious. "Wow, this is so good." She looked up and smiled. "Good job, Dawn. You're good at cooking." She scribbled on her blackboard.

 _Thanks, Riku. I know, I'm the best at everything._

"Woah, don't get too ahead of yourself." He smirked.

 _I can still kick your ass though._

"How do you know I'm not going easy on you and letting you win?" Riku asked.

 _Because the score is like 50-1 and the last time I kicked your ass you started crying._

He rolled his eyes and she smiled with some food on her cheek. He picked up a tissue and wiped her cheek. She blushed at this and gulped. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest and prayed he couldn't hear her heart. The brown eyed teen realised how close he was to her and could feel his hot breath on her face.

"You've always been a messy eater, Dawn." Riku stated and then pulled away from her. She smiled shyly at him and he rustled her hair, but then she pouted with her eyebrows furrowed together. "Alright, I'll stop messing your hair up. You need to look good to impress the guys."

Dawn rolled her eyes whilst huffing; she didn't like those guys who were always after her. Believe it or not they were the same boys who used to bully her for being mute when they were little.

"Woah, you really don't like them, do you?" Riku asked and she showed him the blackboard whilst tapping on it.

 _I despise them! They may be good looking but they have ugly hearts and personalities._

"I agree." He nodded and she stood up. The young woman cleared up and placed the dishes in the sink. She noticed Riku walking to the door and ran up to him. Dawn grabbed his ear and pulled him back into the kitchen. "Ow, ow, ow!" He turned to her and she pointed at the sink with a glare. "Alright, alright." He raised his hands in surrender and washed the plates.

When they were done, they got out of the house and started walking the path to the beach.

"Hey baby." They heard a voice and Dawn sighed whilst rolling her eyes.

She turned to see a group of 3 17-year-old boys. One was Eli, he had sandy blonde hair styled in a combover, slightly tanned skin, light green eyes, chiselled jawline and was 6ft tall with a muscular build. Jacob had black wavy chin length hair, pale skin, icy blue eyes and was 5ft 10in with a slender build. Ryan had brown messy light brown hair, fair skin, brown eyes and was also 5ft 10in with a slim build.

"These guys." Riku huffed.

"You should stop playing with these little kids, sweet cheeks." Jacob stated.

"Admit it you wanna hang out with awesome grown-ups. Admit it Dawn, they do kiddy stuff." Ryan laughed and Riku sighed as he looked down.

"Come on, Dawn. Let's go chill somewhere else. We're way cooler than those other kids." Eli said whilst snaking his hand around her.

The young woman scribbled something down and showed them all with a murderous glare.

 _Eli, you better take your hand off me before I break it off. Besides, these 'kids' are my best friends and I'd rather hang out with them than you 3 fuckers._

The blonde-haired teen immediately took his hand off her and she showed them the middle finger. Dawn held onto Riku's hand and grinned at him. The silver haired teen's cheeks turned a faint red and he gulped; she was holding his hand. Dawn started running with Riku running behind her.

Within 5 minutes, they got to the beach and she let go of his hand. Riku was untying the rope off the boat and Dawn stared at him then the water. She smiled and remembered when they were younger, they along with Sora and Kairi would play in the water. Oh those beautiful times when things were so simple and they were all so innocent; not a care in the world.

Dawn took some water and splashed it on Riku. He turned to her and she started giggling. He smirked at this whilst placing his hands on his hips and leaned closer to her.

"Oh, you're gonna get it." Riku stated and splashed water back at her.

She kept giggling goofily and began running with her best friend chasing her. She turned around whilst running backwards and stuck her tongue at him. But she tripped over her own feet and fell back onto the sand, with the cyan-eyed teen tripping onto her.

Dawn opened her brown orbs and noticed Riku was just inches away from her. He was straddling her and her cheeks turned pink. His eyes widened and he instantly pulled away. The young man stood up and scratched the back of his head whilst blushing immensely. He then noticed his crush was still on the floor and held out his hand for her. She took his hand and he pulled her up. She smiled at him and he smiled back clearly flustered. The brunette then leaned in closer to his ear and he gulped as he felt goosebumps on his body.

"Thank you." She whispered softly and his eyes widened. She pulled away from him and he placed his hand on her shoulders. He had a grin from ear to ear, it was so wide that his cheeks started hurting. His bright cyan eyes sparkled and glimmered like stars in the night sky.

"You whispered, that's a start." He stated and she nodded.


	2. Chapter 2: Different

**Kingdom Hearts 1: Strength of Light**

 **Chapter 2: Different**

Dawn stood on sea shore, she had finished her tasks for the day and decided to relax. She turned to the tree which bore star shaped fruit and took off her Wayfinder from the belt hoop of her jeans. She smiled at this, whilst looking up at the tree and could hear Aqua's words as if it was yesterday.

" _Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star shaped fruit…and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other. Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had."_

She held her purple Wayfinder against her heart. Someday she'd see them again, they'll be together within their hearts, always. She didn't know how long it was gonna take, but someday she'll find the people she loved and save them. But before she could do this, she had to become a Keyblade Master, it was the promise she made to her adoptive father.

Dawn held out her hand and a Keyblade appeared in her hand. It looked a lot like a silver sword with a gold, blue and white handle, an ornate gold filigree in a pattern of flowers wrapped around the Keyblade and at the teeth of the weapon was a multi-coloured Wayfinder with a silver heart in the middle. The Keyblade had a long reach and was 5ft in height. The weapon quickly disappeared and she remembered Eraqus granted her the power of the Keyblade.

" _In your hand, take this key. And so long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be made."_

'Dad…' She frowned and sighed. 'Someday, I'll make you proud.'

Dawn turned around and decided to look for Riku, Sora and Kairi. She walked into the Cove and found the 2 childhood best friends about to have a race.

"I get to share the Paopu Fruit with Kairi." The silver haired teen stated.

Dawn's brown eyes filled and stung with tears and she felt her daggers piercing her heart. She placed her hand on her chest and her gasp came out shaky and he heard this. He turned to her and saw her staring at him with wide eyes. The young woman opened the door behind and went through not wanting to seeing any more. Dawn's quick walking turned into a sprint and she fell onto the sand. She buried her face into her arm and she began sobbing quietly.

'He likes Kairi…' She pulled herself up, dusted the sand off her clothes and walked to the water. The young woman wrapped her arms around her body and looked down at the water. 'Of course he likes her, Kairi is so beautiful.' Her tear dropped into the water and she sighed whilst kicking the water. 'And I'm just…ugh! He wouldn't want his destiny intertwined with a mute girl like me.' She wiped her tears and sighed. The young woman shook her head. 'I should never have developed feelings for him. How could he like someone like me?'

Riku walked out of the cove and along the seashore but stopped walking when something caught his eye. He turned his head to see Dawn staring into the distance. For some odd reason this reminded him of when he met that man from the outside world 10 years ago.

She turned to the young man and he saw her puffy eyes. He walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She looked down and pushed his hand off her.

"Dawn…" She started walking towards her boat and he grabbed her arm gently. "Just listen-"

Dawn pushed him so hard that he fell onto the floor. She turned around, got onto her boat and rowed away. She heard Riku calling her name but just ignored it.

* * *

The brown haired teen got to the Main Islands and tied her boat to the mini pier. She got off the boat and was walking until something caught her eye. It was a pink and yellow shell on the sand and it looked like it was washed up to shore.

"They're supposed to be good luck." She heard Eli's voice and turned to him with a glare. He raised his hands in surrender. "I swear I wasn't following you." The young woman threw the shell back at the sea in anger. "Those are rare to find you know and you just chucked it like it was coral." She just crossed her arms and huffed. "What's with you?" She turned to him with glare. "Alright it's none of my business. But if you ever wanna talk about it, I'm here." She scribbled on her blackboard and showed him.

 _Why are you not being a dick like you always are?"_

"You know I'm not always a dick. I just like annoying you. Seeing those annoyed and pissed off emotions on your face is cute." Eli smirked but it dropped. "You know Riku is so driven about going to the outside worlds. He's just a kid and he doesn't know what he's getting himself into." Her eyebrow rose. "I've heard it's dangerous in the outside world. You'd know you're from the outside world." He explained and she sighed. "I just wonder why would anyone want to leave such a peaceful place."

 _He wants to become strong, that's why._

"Strength doesn't lie in just brawn." He said and placed his hand on his chest. "It lies in here too." A small smile graced her lips and he smiled back. "Now that's a cute smile." She giggled at this and pushed him lightly. "What? I'm serious! You've got a really pretty smile."

 _Do not._

"You do." He poked her forehead. "And a very pretty face." She rolled her eyes at this.

 _I'm not going on a date with you, idiot._

"Rejected by a pretty lady, oh my heart." He placed his hands on his chest and pretended to sound hurt. She covered her mouth and laughed at this. "Arrest her, she's broken my heart."

 _You're such a dork._

"Your friend is a dork." She tilted her head to the side. "Sora." Dawn pouted at this.

 _Sora's the best!_

Her smile dropped and she looked down. The young woman placed her hand on her chest and sighed deeply. There was something about that simple-minded boy that would draw her to him. He was so full of light and friendly…just like Ventus. The memories of him washed over her mind.

"You okay, what's wrong?" Eli asked curiously.

 _Sorry, I just need to go home. I don't feel well._

"Are you sure? What's up?" He questioned.

 _Period pains._

"Woah, okay." He raised his hands up. "You want me to walk you home?"

 _No, I'd rather go alone. Thanks, though. It was nice spending time with you._

Dawn smiled at him and waved as she walked away. Her slow walked turned to running and she ran down the path towards her house. She opened the door, closed it behind her and sat on the sofa in the living room. The young woman reached underneath the sofa and took out a sketchbook, pencil and a rubber.

The young woman opened the book and flicked to the pages. She stopped and placed her hand on the page as the tears dripped onto the paper. It was a drawing of Ventus smiling sweetly and she smiled back; she admired him, telling Terra, Aqua and her father that once she got older she'd marry him. They would just laugh at this but thought it was adorable. She flicked back through the pages and saw her drawings of Aqua, her father and then Terra.

When Dawn turned a page, her eyes widened and she placed her hand on her chest. It was a drawing of her best friend, her very best friend, the one who was always there for her no matter what, the one who made her so happy after losing everything; Raiden. In her drawing, he was just 8 years old, that was the last time she saw him. He had short black hair, round eyes, a button nose and dimples. A memory came into her mind and she smiled whilst turning the pages.

After an hour, she heard the door open and close. The footsteps came into the living room and she looked up to see Riku with his hand behind his back. After 3 seconds, she looked back down at her sketchbook and finished off her drawing. The silver haired teen sat next to her and looked down at her book. There was a drawing of a little girl wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a skirt, with a flower in her hair, and the boy wore a tank top and knee pants. The girl had a scraped knee but she was smiling because her and the boy were having ice cream. He recognised the little girl as Dawn.

"Who's that?" He asked curiously pointing at the boy and she wrote next to the drawing.

 _Raiden, my special best friend._

"Dawn, about what happened…" She looked up at him and he gave her a red hibiscus flower. She just stared down at it and was reminded of Raiden; he'd give her a flower every day. She picked up her blackboard and scribbled something down.

 _Are you trying to win my forgiveness with a flower?_

"You know I'm not good at apologising." He sighed and she gave the flower back to him. "Dawn…I'm sorry. I just said that to make Sora jealous. I know he likes Kairi. But I didn't know it was gonna make you jealous, hm?" She crossed her arms, looked away and pouted. The silver haired teen chuckled at this and she glared at him. "So, when are you gonna draw me?"

 _You're not pretty enough_

"Wow, that was brutal." He placed his hands on his heart. "My poor heart." She chuckled at this and stuck her tongue out. "You're so mean, aren't you?"

 _You love it, though._

Dawn grinned and winked at him. His cheeks warmed up and flushed pink when he saw this. He began rubbing his cheek, averted his gaze and flustered. He suddenly felt a cool hand on his cheek and looked up at the young woman. She stared at him with her round curious eyes and she tilted her head to the side. He pulled away instantly and gulped. She smirked at this and poked his shoulder.

 _Are you blushing?_

"N-no way!" Riku denied and she snickered.

 _You look so damn cute when you blush._

"No I don't!" He exclaimed and she poked his cheek whilst nodding. "I'm not cute, I'm manly as hell."

Dawn wrapped her arms around her stomach and began laughing hysterically. He pouted at this and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Hey, I'm manly." He whined. "I've made pancakes for the family."

 _That wasn't pancakes. Whatever it was, it gave us food poisoning._

"I've caught fish before." Riku countered back.

 _You make Sora catch fish because you only did it once. Being manly isn't even a thing. I'm a girl and I can do many "manly" things._

"Most of the time I really doubt you're a girl." He smirked and earned himself a hard punch on the shoulder. "Ow!"

 _If I wasn't a girl, I wouldn't be this strong._

"How are you even this strong?" He asked.

 _Both my adoptive fathers did not raise a little weak ass bitch, Riku._

"Clearly." Riku stated. "But that's what I admire about you." She blushed at this and smiled gently at him. "You're different."

 _Is different good?_

"I like different." Her eyebrows rose and she gulped as Riku smiled sweetly at her.


	3. Chapter 3: Darkness

Sorry I took time to update this. I was just thinking about how to do this chapter where everything goes to shit. This is an emotional chapter for Dawn because it reminds her of really upsetting memories, the ones which traumatised her and made her mute. Oh and I researched a condition that Dawn has and it's called PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

* * *

 **Kingdom Hearts 1: Strength of Heart**

 **Chapter 3: Darkness**

After having lunch with Riku, Dawn decided to go take a nap whilst Riku went back to the play islands. The young woman had insomnia for the past 5 years, only getting an average of 2-3 hours sleep each night. But today was different, she felt tired from all the work she did on the raft and getting supplies, so she decided to take a nice nap. She just wished that when she closed her eyes, she wouldn't have a nightmare about darkness again.

It felt like 5 minutes since she closed her eyes to sleep but when she opened them, she found her room dark. It was night time already? That nap must have been 6 hours but felt like 5 minutes. The young woman got out from her bedroom whilst rubbed her eyes and yawning. She walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen to find her adoptive parents.

Ria was a 38-year-old woman who was 5ft 8in with fair skin, rosy cheeks, dimples, silver hair shoulder length hair and bright blue eyes. She was a very overprotective mother, for both Riku and Dawn, but was well mannered and was very bright and talkative. Haku, her husband was a 37-year-old man who was 6ft tall with slightly tanned skin, freckles, brown hair and cyan eyes. He was the more responsible parent who was shy at times and loving. They both turned around and smiled at their adoptive daughter.

"Good morning Dawn." Ria giggled. "You managed to get sleep, how long did you sleep for?" The young woman showed 6 fingers and her adoptive father gave her the thumbs up.

"More than you usually sleep. Good job, Dawn." Haku grinned.

 _Where's Riku?_

Her mother's eyebrows furrowed together as she looked out of the kitchen window.

"He's still out there." She mumbled.

"He should be on his way home, sweetie. Sit down and relax." Haku reassured her and Ria sat opposite him at the dinner table, whilst placing a plate of fish stew out for Dawn. The brown-haired teen began eating her food wholeheartedly. Her adoptive mother noticed tear streaks on Dawn's face.

"Did you have another one of those nightmares again, sweetie?" She asked worriedly and Dawn looked up at her then wrote on her blackboard. She frowned and nodded. Ria and Haku placed their hands on her shoulders and she looked up at them. The young woman saw their warm smiles and her heart was filled with warmth.

"We'll always be here for you." Haku stated.

"We'll make you happy no matter what. We love you, Dawn. You're my daughter." Ria smiled. "You're so special to me."

The brown-haired teen wrapped her arms around her adoptive parents and held them tightly. They both returned the hug and she sighed with delight. The young woman pulled away and they heard a thunder near their house. They all went outside to their front garden and saw dark thunder clouds hovering over the play islands.

Dawn's brown orbs widened and filled with tears. Her heart began to race and her breathing was shaky. It was just like 10 years ago.

 _"You won't need a home anymore where you're going." Master Xehanort smirked._

She was far too young back then to do anything. She couldn't save Eraqus, she couldn't stop Xehanort, she couldn't save Terra, Aqua and Ven and she couldn't stop her home from being destroyed. She couldn't do anything back then. But now, she was seeing her home about to go through the same thing. She knew in her heart that the darkness was about to swallow up this world.

The young woman's hand curled up into a tight fist and she grinded her teeth together. There was no way Dawn was going to stand here and do nothing! She was old and strong enough now to save this world and protect her loved ones.

'Fight to protect the people you love, always.' She thought to herself.

Just as she was about to run towards out, she felt someone grab her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to see Haku grabbing her wrist with tears in his cyan eyes. Her determined eyes softened and she grabbed his hand. The young woman placed his hand on her chest where her heart was and gave him a reassuring smile. She looked at Ria, took her hand and placed it on her chest. They both had tears falling down their cheeks but smiled at her.

"We trust you, Dawn. Find Riku and come back home safe, okay?" Ria stated and Dawn nodded.

The brown-haired teen hugged her parents and ran out their front garden. She began running as fast as she could on the path to the beach. Eli who was watching the storm from outside his house, saw Dawn and ran after her. He called out her name but she didn't stop running or turn around.

Dawn got to the beach in a matter of minutes and felt someone grab tightly onto her wrist and stopped her. She turned around and was met with Eli staring at her panting.

"It's dangerous!" He exclaimed and she stared into his light green eyes with tears in her eyes. She glanced at the play island and then her eyes fell on him again. His eyebrows rose as realisation smacked him in the face. "Riku…" She held his hand and a tear fell down her cheek. "…You love him that much, huh. Well…" Eli squeezed her hand and ran over to a boat. "Let's get you there. I can ride a boat faster than anyone on this island."

They ran over to a boat and got on. Eli began rowing as fast as he could towards the island in the distance. However, the winds grew stronger and the waves were becoming fiercer. Dawn watched Eli trying his best to keep rowing and smiled at this. She placed her hand on his cheek and he looked up at her. She grinned at him whilst rustling his hair, which made him blush immensely; she was so beautiful, inside and out.

Dawn stood up and jumped into the water with a splash following her.

"Dawn!" Eli called out after her and her head popped out of the water, as she whipped her hair back. The young woman looked back, gave Eli a smile and a thumbs up and then turned around again. The young woman began swimming as fast as she could in the direction of the play island.

Within 10 minutes, she got to the island and was panting when she walked onto the shore. She looked up at the mini island to see Riku standing there. As Dawn was about to make her way towards the Seaside Shack, an ink black small creature with antennae, yellow beady eyes, and claws. The another appeared, and another, and another, until there were around 10.

Dawn held out her hand in front of her and her Keyblade appeared in her hand. Those creatures began jumping onto her but she swung her weapon towards them. When she was done fighting the Heartless, she ran towards the Seaside Shack. She climbed onto it quickly and ran across the bridge, where she met Riku.

"The door…" He turned around and held his hand up for her. "…is open." Her eyebrows furrowed together at this. "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our family again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance." Her eyebrows rose and she shook her head. "We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" Dark clouds appeared around his legs and began to spread.

This triggered a traumatic horrifying memory. When Terra had become possessed by the darkness, when he used that darkness to hurt Aqua.

 _"Who…am I?" Terra asked._

 _"Such…a…terrible darkness…please Terra…you need to…fight it!" Aqua yelled._

 _"Terra…you say?" He let go of her and she dropped to the ground. "Terra's heart has been extinguished by the darkness, smothered by the darkness within him!" He summoned Master Xehanort's Keyblade and held it up._

But when she turned the large orb of red and black darkness which was sucking everything in, she lost it. The tears fell down her cheeks and she grabbed Riku's hand. He wanted to pull her towards him, but she was pulling him back towards her.

"Dawn! What are you doing?" He asked.

'I'm not losing another loved one to the darkness!' She wanted to scream out loud.

The young woman squeezed onto his hand as his whole body was immersed in darkness. In her mind, she was imagining Riku being possessed by the darkness like Terra was. Seeing him being a pawn of the darkness and losing him like how she lost her brother, would be too much to bear. She was losing her world and losing her loved one, just like her dearest brother. Her heart began beating faster and she was panting, she was growing weaker, but she kept holding onto his hand. She closed her eyes and her legs gave in. The last thing she saw was Riku being enveloped by darkness and a bright light coming from her Wayfinder…


	4. Chapter 4: Reunited

' **ArchyltheVilRose'** It makes me really happy that you appreciate this story. I wanted to make this story because I know there are people who suffer from PTSD, but that's what makes them strong. They go through so much, emotionally, but are able to fight every day. We all have a strength inside us and I like to write about those strengths in each of my OCs. Like I'd say; it's not about physical strength or muscle, what's strong about someone is the things they've gone through and how they've conquered those ups and downs.

* * *

 **Kingdom Hearts 1: Strength of Heart**

 **Chapter 4: Reunited**

Dawn's eyebrows furrowed together and she opened her eyes slowly. Her eyes adjusted to the light and she looked around. Her eyes fell on a young man who sitting at her bedside. He was extremely handsome, with spiky black hair, fair skin, chiselled jaw, pierced ear and an athletic build. He wore a red tank top, black leather jacket, cropped trousers and black trainers. When he turned to her, her cheeks turned pink and she gulped. She felt her heart beat faster; this man was handsome. But when she saw his blue eyes, her eyes widened. He turned to her and his cheeks turned a faint red. His eyebrows furrowed together when he saw her staring at him. The young man's eyes filled with tears as he placed his hand on her cheek and she placed her hand on his face.

"Dawn…it's you." He sighed smiling and a tear fell down her cheek. She sat up and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "It's really you." He hugged her back and felt warm tears on his neck. Raiden pulled away from her slowly and wiped her tears. "Please don't cry. Are you alright?"

Dawn smiled brightly, but when she remembered, her smile dropped and she averted her gaze. She sighed and felt her heart ache as her eyes stung with tears. She remembered what happened to Destiny Islands, to the people she loved.

"Dawn, please say something. What's wrong?" He urged and she looked up at him. She picked up her blackboard and began writing.

 _I'm mute because of the trauma I've gone through 10 years ago. I only speak when I'm on my own._

His eyebrows furrowed together and he held her hands.

 _Raiden, where are we?_

"We're in Traverse Town. When someone loses their world to the Heartless, they take refuge here." Her eyebrows furrowed together and her eyes widened.

 _What happened to Radiant Garden?_

"A witch called Maleficent invaded along with the Heartless." He answered.

She grinded her teeth together and her hand curled up into a fist. Her eyes widened and jumped out of the bed. The young woman dashed out the door and stopped when she got into the corridor of a Hotel with Raiden behind her. She saw a man with brown hair carrying her best friend, Sora. She ran up to them and placed her hand on Sora's forehead with a frown.

"Dawn…is that you?" She looked up and recognised this man to be Leon. She smiled and nodded. "How did you get here?"

"I found her unconscious in the Second District with Heartless swarming around her." Raiden stated.

"What's up, cat's got your tongue?" Leon asked and Dawn glared at him. He gulped at this and turned to a door. "Uh, come on."

Dawn sat beside a sleeping Sora as she stared into his face. She held his hand tightly and a tear fell down her cheek. Their world…it's gone and she didn't know where her friends or family were. She knew they weren't there…so where?

Sora opened his eyes and he looked up at Dawn.

"Dawn?" When she heard his voice, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He took a second to process what was going on and returned the hug. After a few moments, she pulled away from him and placed her hand on his forehead. "I'm fine, Dawn." She stared at him and still looked worried. "Don't worry about me." He smiled at her and she saw Ven's bright smile. She returned the smile and nodded.

"I think you might have over done it Squall." Yuffie stated.

"It's Leon." He corrected. Dawn turned to the brown haired man with a murderous glare and he gulped whilst averting his gaze.

"The Keyblade…" Dawn turned to Sora and followed his stare to see a yellow and silver Keyblade against the wall.

"Yeah we had to get it away from you to shake off the Heartless. It turns out, that's how they were tracking you." Yuffie stated.

"It was the only way to conceal your heart from them. But it won't work for long. Still hard to believe that you of all people were chosen." Leon picked up the Keyblade and it appeared in Sora's hand.

Dawn looked at the Keyblade and then raised her hand. Her Keyblade appeared and she held onto it. Leon's eyebrows rose and he gasped.

"Another Keyblade?" He asked. "Dawn, how long have you had this for?"

"She's had it for around 10 years." Raiden stated.

"So there are 2 chosen ones." Leon stated.

 _What is going on?_

Leon began explaining what was happening with the Heartless and the Keyblade. He said that the Heartless were afraid of the Keyblade and that was why they would keep coming after them. When he was done explaining, Sora went to talk to Leon and Raiden sat next to Dawn. She turned to him to see him staring at her whilst placing his hand on hers.

"There's something important I have to tell you." He said and gulped. "Raiden…that's not my name." Her head tilted to the side with confusion. "It's Noctis and there's so much I have to tell you." He held her hand and she smiled at him whilst placing her hand on his shoulder.

 _You're still my best friend, no matter what._

"Dawn…" He sighed with relief with a smile on his face.

"LEON!" They heard Yuffie yell and looked up to see a Heartless appear in the room.

"Yuffie, go!" Leon shouted. Noctis summoned his Ultima Blade whilst Sora and Dawn held onto their Keyblades. "Sora, Dawn, Noctis, let's go."

The Heartless jumped out of the window and they all followed. Leon decided that they would all split up with Sora and Dawn sticking together to look for the leader. Leon would look in the 1st District, Noctis in the 2nd District and Sora and Dawn to the 3rd District.

Dawn and Sora ran through the 2nd District whilst fighting any Heartless coming in the way. Sora noticed how strong the brown haired teen was at fighting the Heartless. It was as if she had been doing for years. She turned to him and he smiled at her.

"You're really strong Dawn." He stated and she smiled whilst blushing.

They ran into the 3rd District to find it completely yet oddly empty. They began looking around and suddenly heard yelling. Suddenly 2 people fell on Sora and Dawn placed her hand on her mouth whilst snickering.

"Hey!" Sora whined and she rubbed the back of her neck whilst smiling.

The ground began to shake and they saw the corners being blocked by boulders and they were surrounded with Heartless. Dawn held out her hand and summoned her Keyblade. She and the others began fighting the Heartless and it no time they were all gone. Just as they thought all the Heartless was gone, they heard armour clanking together. They turned to see a huge armoured Heartless; that was the leader!

Dawn ran towards it and jumped from limb to limb to get to the head, whilst the others were attacking the feet of the Armoured Heartless. As time went on, Dawn began remembering things her father, brother and Aqua taught her; certain attacks and a few magical spells. The others soon defeated the feet and arms of the Heartless and Sora and Dawn delivered the final blow. It began to tremble then it disappeared. A heart appeared and then it floated up to the sky.

"So you were looking for us?" Sora asked and the others nodded.

"They too have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade." Leon added and turned to see him, Yuffie and Noctis walked into the scene.

"Hey why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel." The one in yellow and green asked.

"I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi…" Sora sighed. Dawn noticed this and placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see her nodding with a reassuring smile.

"Sora, go with them. Especially if you wanna find your friends." Leon stated.

"Yeah, I guess." He sighed.

"But you can't come along looking like that. Understand?" The one in blue exclaimed. "No frowning. No sad face. Okay?"

"Yeah, you gotta look funny, like us." The goofy looking person stated.

"This boat runs on happy faces!" The duck stated.

"Happy?" Sora sighed. "Like this?" He looked up at the others with a huge grin on his face. The others laughed at this but Dawn stood there with a freaked-out face.

"That's one funny face!" The dog said.

"Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys. What about you?" He turned to Dawn and she nodded.

"Donald Duck!" Donald said.

"The name's Goofy." Goofy added.

"I'm Sora." He smiled and the others looked at the brown-haired girl.

 _My name is Dawn, it's nice to meet you._

"You can't talk?" Donald asked and she shook her head.

"Well it's nice to meet ya too, Dawn." Goofy smiled and she placed her hand on her chest whilst smiling and nodding.

"Dawn." She turned to see Noctis. He held her hands and his eyebrows furrowed together. She held his hands tightly whilst smiling at him. "Be careful out there, okay?" Dawn nodded as she grinned at her best friend with a thumbs up.


End file.
